The Besa Machinegun (named as such due to its designer the Birmingham Small Arms Company or BSA) is a British heavy machinegun of Czech descendance optimised for vehicle mounts and chambered in 7.92x57mm (or 8mm Mauser). Most British tanks of World War II used this weapon, as the Republican Armoured Corps considered it a superior weapon to its contemporaries.
Besa Machinegun
Abilities
Common Attributes - Mechanical
Auto
This weapon is fully automatic, either inherently so or by the presence of a selective-fire mechanism.
EFFECT:
This weapon can fire more than one shot each time it is used, specifically, in bursts. A penalty is applied depending on the burst size, to simulate recoil. The number of shots in a burst is different for certain types of weapons.
- Light Automatic Weapons (Handgun ⚡, Submachinegun ⚡, Assault Rifle ⚡, Battle Rifle ⚡, Carbine ⚡, Shotgun ⚡, Energy Weapon 💡, Bow 🏹, magazine-fed Light Machinegun ⚡)
- Heavy Automatic Weapons (belt-fed Light Machinegun ⚡, Heavy Machinegun ⚡, Autocannon ⚡, Grenade Launcher 💣, Anti-Air Gun 💥, Anti-Tank Gun 💥, Mortar 💥, Naval Gun 💥)
| Light Automatic Weapons | Heavy Automatic Weapons | Penalty | Penalty (Stable firing platform) |
| 5-round burst | 20-round burst | NONE | |
| 10-round burst | 50-round burst | ||
| 20-round burst | 100-round burst |
Automatic weapons are considered stable when they're mounted on a vehicle, tripod or turret. This is different from the Stabilised SA.
Do note that penalties from firing at long-range apply as per the Basic Rules (TBD).
It is impossible to perform automatic fire at a target that is at Very Long Range (VLR) or Extreme Range (EXR) without a stable firing platform.
Belt-Fed
EFFECT:
This weapon is not fed from fixed capacity magazines, but from belts which can be made as long or short as needed.
Most machinegun belts contain 50, 100, 200 or 250 rounds. Some vehicle belts, however, can be way longer.
Unless specified otherwise, assume all small arms belts to be of 100 rounds.
Common Attributes - National
Steady and True - British Small Arms (WW2)
The British Army, well aware of its numerical inferiority against any of Europe's great powers, has always put a premium on the individual soldier's discipline and rifle marksmanship. Every British infantryman is a skilled shooter and is issued a rifle that allows them to be so.
EFFECT:
This weapon gains an Easy DM when performing Aimed Fire (2 APS) beyond Medium Range.